Betty Jane Rowland (January 23, 1916 – April 3, 2022) was an American

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. Her father was an

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certif ...

who lost his job during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Betty and her sisters Dian and Roz Elle all started out as dancers in vaudeville before making the transition into

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

Career

Betty Rowland performed at the famous club

Minsky's ''Minsky's'' is a musical by Bob Martin (book), Charles Strouse (music), and Susan Birkenhead (lyrics), and is loosely based on the 1968 movie ''The Night They Raided Minsky's''. Set during the Great Depression era in Manhattan, the story cente ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where she earned the nickname "Ball of Fire" from both her flaming red hair and hot and fast style of dancing. She moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1938. By 1941, the fresh-faced Rowland was established as a burlesque star. Unlike other exotic dancers who cultivated an aloof, statuesque attitude on stage to project a distant sort of glamour, Betty Rowland had a much more vivacious style, in which she was constantly smiling and prancing across the stage. She attempted to sue producer

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...

for using "Ball of Fire" as the title for a

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...

film starring

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

. She also appeared in some

Hollywood movies The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century. Classical Hollywood cinema, a filmmakin ...

such as ''

Let's Make Music ''Let's Make Music'' is a 1941 American musical film directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Bob Crosby, Jean Rogers and Elisabeth Risdon. It was produced by RKO Pictures and written by Nathanael West. The film's songs include the classic " B ...

'' (1940), ''Spavaldi e innamorati'' (1959), ''

Love & Kisses Love & Kisses is a 1970s disco group assembled by European Record producer, producer Alec R. Costandinos & the Syncophonic Orchestra, Alec Costandinos, with a variety of male and female singers. After collaborating on Cerrone's debut album ''L ...

'' (1965), ''

A Time for Dying ''A Time for Dying'' is a 1969 American Western film written and directed by Budd Boetticher with a cameo role by Audie Murphy, who also produced the film, as Jesse James. It was Murphy's last film, as well as the final dramatic feature for Boet ...

'' (1969). In the 1960s, Rowland assumed ownership of a bar in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

; the bar was bought and renamed by investors in the 1990s, but she continued to work there as a hostess until at least 2009, when she was 93. She appeared in numerous documentaries in 2004 and 2010, also in a video named Forbidden Cinema: Volume 5 – Lost Blue Classics (2014).

Personal life

Rowland was married to businessman Owen S. Dalton from 1956 to their divorce in 1963. She was in a relationship with burlesque and film comedian

Gus Schilling August "Gus" Schilling (June 20, 1908 – June 16, 1957) was an American film actor who started in burlesque comedy and usually played nervous comic roles, often unbilled. A friend of Orson Welles, he appeared in five of the director's films � ...

, and they were often referred to as spouses, but Rowland later said that they never married. In her later years she helped run various bars, worked as a hostess at Alain Giraud's French restaurant Anisette Brasserie in

. In 2009, Rowland was living in an apartment in

Brentwood, Los Angeles Brentwood is a suburban neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. History General Modern development began after the establishment of the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors in the ...

. She died at a care facility in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

on April 3, 2022, at the age of 106. Her death was announced nearly 3 months later on June 30.

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' (1940) – Betty, Chorus Girl * ''Spavaldi e innamorati'' (1950) – Dorothy * ''

'' (1965) – Dancer * ''

'' (1969) – Dancer * ''Sunset Strip'' (2012) * ''Forbidden Cinema: Volume 5 – Lost Blue Classics'' (2014)

Documentaries

* ''The Last First Comic'' (2010) * '' Behind the Burly Q'' (2010) * ''Pretty Things'' (2005) * ''Striptease: The Greatest Exotic Dancers of All Time'' (2004) * ''Gypsy'' (TV Series 1965) * '' International Burlesque'' (1950)

References